Matheus Diniz Is Texting Gordon Ryan And Wants A Match With The 'King'
Matheus Diniz Is Texting Gordon Ryan And Wants A Match With The 'King'
After taking gold during his ADCC debut, Matheus Diniz says he's ready to take on P4P #1 Gordon Ryan. He's even texting him to make the match happen.
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Marcelo Garcia's top protege, Matheus Diniz, did the unthinkable in 2019 by taking gold during his ADCC debut. Now he's fired up and looking for a greater challenge. What's tougher than ADCC gold? Taking the P4P #1 spot from ADCC absolute champion, Gordon Ryan.
Texting Gordon Ryan
Gordon Ryan is in his own stratosphere right now and worthy contenders are falling left and right. Matheus Diniz believes he is the man to dethrone Danaher's golden boy and has asked Gordon for a matchup. Both men have agreed to fight and are waiting on the opportunity. Hywel Teague gets the full details in this interview.
Rewind: ADCC Road To Gold
So, is Matheus Diniz a worthy opponent for Gordon? Absolutely. The man has never been submitted in no-gi competition and is the current ADCC champion at 88kg.
Still not convinced? Let's rewind and take a better look at Matheus on the mat getting ready for his ADCC debut.
Dominating The Podium: ADCC 2019
After arriving in Anaheim, Diniz admitted to being mentally unprepared for his division. However, he still edged out Pedro Marinho, Gabriel Arges, Josh Hinger, and Craig Jones to get the job done. Even after taking gold, Diniz was unimpressed with his performance.
"My first ADCC was great and I was able to win. [However,] I am not satisfied and I plan to go next year. I did not get a submission and feel like I did not go 100 percent. People who know me, understand how I train and know I can do better." –Matheus Diniz
Let's go matside for a second and look at Matheus's reaction after his win over Craig Jones in the final.
Ready For A New Challenge
After winning ADCC, Diniz opened up about some injuries he was struggling with. They were so painful, they prevented him from competing in the absolute division. This creates a question mark when thinking about the outcome of the absolute bracket of ADCC 2019.
After taking the time to recover his injuries and quarantining himself from the coronavirus and work on his mental preparations, Diniz feels he is ready for the ultimate challenge in 2020. Both men have agreed to fight each other, now the only question remaining is who's going to host it.